Tracking the Tigers with MLB.com beat writer Jason Beck.

Bonderman hopes to be back by September

Jeremy Bonderman was back with the Tigers in Pittsburgh on Saturday, but it won’t be for long. He’s scheduled to fly back to Detroit on Sunday and start his rehab work again with a therapist. From there, it’s looking like a long process, and Bonderman sees it.

“It’s probably not going to be within the next month, but I’m hoping before September,” Bonderman said of a possible return. “My goal is before September. I know it’s going to be a long process.

“It just hasn’t been everything I expected. It’s tough. It’s been a tough year.”

It wasn’t expected to be nearly this tough. He faced a difficult offseason rehab process after surgery in June to correct a restricted blood vessel in his right shoulder, but remember, there was at least some hope going into spring training that he might be ready in time for Opening Day.

But the surgery has taken more of a toll on his shoulder than most anyone could’ve expected, including some nerve problems, and he can’t get that strength back to pitch at a Major League level.

“From what Dr. Andrews said, I still have a long way to go,” Bonderman said. “I’ll just start working with a rehab guy in Detroit — for how long, I don’t know — and go from there.”

He’s prepared for the possibility that even September might not be long enough, or that the Tigers will play it on the safe side.

“I just want to get back — if it’s not this year, then at least get to where I feel comfortable going into next Spring Training,” Bonderman said. “I plan on being back, but wherever things go this year, I don’t know. I don’t want to put a timetable on it, because when I came back this time, I wasn’t ready. I’m not going to come back and hurt the team. When I come back next time, it’ll be to stay.”

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After his start the other night everyone was saying that his arm strength wasnt were it needed to be – that was obvious to everyone. But from the way that sounds, it wasn’t going to be there any time soon.

After his start, the comments by Leyland about how 91 was a step in the right direction seemed optimistic.

What are we talking about fir the long run here. What is his contract at? Are we going to be lumping Bondo in with Eric Milton, Brett Tomko and Shawn Estes as pitchers who showed flashes but now no one wants to know their names?

If he misses the whole season and (fingers crossed) postseason, do we just play the Chicago game of maybe next year for Bonderman?

Well that was awful. 6 hits i the inning and they only got out of that jam because of a good throw. G-Man was foolish on Wilson with the 0-2 pitch and it cost him dearly.
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He has himself psyched into these early inning woes and does not look good throwing the ball.
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Down 3 runs with this offense. Doesn’t look promising.

he should have been pinch hit for in the 2nd.. wasted an out.. who knows how many we could have put up had we gotten something out of that spot.
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leyland should have thanked his lucky stars he got out of 2 with only 4 runs allowed and made the change.. it was clear to me and everyone else watching that he had nothing.

The good thing with Marcus is he is OK against left and right pitching. Hopefully he can keep the patience up he has shown since returning.
JL has been infuriating the way he brings guys up and puts them in the top 5 without having to earn their ‘stripes’.
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Something must be wrong with GMans shoulder also. Like Bondo’s pitching, I had time to say ‘hit me! hit me! hit me!!’

Hmmm. Houston we have a problem. Our 4ths starter is showing signs of coming apart and maybe cannot be relied upon. Bonderman is finished and Dontrelle is a prayer every time he goes out. We might be seeing Zach Miner next go-round.

It’s over now. Everett makes a good play keeps a run fronm scoring only to see a guy tee off and score 4. These guys will hoping they can get through this game without getting hurt. Let’s start getting amped up about tomorrow when we get to see Dane Sardinha again.

Problem with Zach Miner is there is only 1 of them. We just might need 2 starters to emerge. G-Man has the stuff but Dontrelle is experimental. Nobody real solid in Toledo. Please-don’t go the Bonine route. Or Lambert.
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Josh Anderson is on his way out. The only people that don’t know it are himself and Leyland.

Kiss this game goodbye. The dynamic duo of G & Robertson have given us little or no chance of winning. Robertson should have been gone a long time ago. If G doesn’t get straightened out maybe it is time for a bus ride to Toledo.

Sheff $14m, Nate $7m; Bondo $12.5m; Willis $11m and Carlos $10m totalling $54.5m. That has to represent quite a few teams total payroll.
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JL drops Thames from the line being the last at bat to place Perry. Sure the correct proper decision but removing, with Inge and Raburn probably the only bats with enough power to get a homer required some imagination and given the state of the game. Perry may even be another Ricky with the bat.
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Cabs keeps hacking away for the fly homer. Prior to today, he was hitting .176 for June with 1HR and 2 RBI’s from 34 AB’s.

I was totally opposed to the Sheffield trade from the beginning and not primarily for his inflated price tag. I hated to see the Tigers give up three (3) young pitchers. Fortunately, however, none of those pitchers have thus far shown themselves to be major league material. Hopefully, that won’t change.

I wasn’t trying to make comment on the merits of the various Contracts, just that we are presently getting no value from any of them.
I am sure DD would happily trade Willis for even half his Contract if he had the chance.
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I am really feeling for Josh – he could play a big part in this team but his batting is woeful and getting worse. He must be close to breaking records for ground outs.

This game was a disaster. We get 7 hits and Pittsburgh gets 16 in 8 innings. Galarraga was terrible and Robertson was just plain awful. The hitting was anemic as usual. Our 4th and 5th starters are not doing it. We have played 62 games and Ordenez has been a bust. JL pulls Thames and puts Perry in the 3rd spot, after he drives in 2 runs. What else did I miss oh yea, Pittsburgh won 9-3. Better get it going Willis goes tomorrow.

OH Rich I know you and Marty were at this game. OUCH. Hopefully they will give you a better showing on Sunday.
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Well pitching was horrible that is obvious. They were just teeing off on everyone. It was hard to watch. And again the hitting is anemic. Cabrera is only trying to hit homers, and is flying out more often than not. Nobody seems to be able to keep a streak going – they might have one good game and then nothing. And I know some of that has to do with the pitcher. But it seems like sometimes a guy will get on a streak for 3 or 4 games in which they will hit a little streak..
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It was hard to watch. Especially with that stupid Pittsburgh, Penquins/ Steelers sing that was sitting in the seat right behind the plate.

I hope June isn’t the month we remember where it all started to unravel. First our batting finally going frigid cold with Cabs and Inges heroics running out of steam;
our pitching with Bondo, GMan, Nate (and Willis??);
our late innings work with Rodney having an ERA of 10.8 for June and Zoom already with his one save for the season putting his career stats at 4 from 19 attempts (21%).
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Regarding hitting, stop bringing new guys up into the top 5 pressure positions.
Grandy is hitting .204 leading off so placing him down the order has got to be worth a shot with Raburn or Thomas sharing leadoff based on pitcher.
Hopefully GMan is hiding something like a tired shoulder so that Zach can cover him for a month or so. JL needs to have a heart to heart with him now. As Dan says, we only have one Zach if/when Willis implodes.
The time is fast approaching to resolve Nate taking up a bullpen position. Ni has got to be worth a shot given his experience in Asia.

We had seats four rows behind the Tigers dugout and their were a ton of Detroit fans in attendance. That’s the end of the good news.
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It took me so long to get to Pittsburgh that I didn’t get to hook up with Marty. Maybe tomorrow. He did text me to say that he caught a foul ball late in the game.
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The game was as brutal as it looked on TV. I found it strange that Robertson was warming up in the 2nd inning but after Galarraga escaped with the 5th run being thrown out at home, JL not only let him start the 3rd but let him hit in the top of the inning. This is all before we knew that Robertson would give up a slam. That disaster was helped along greatly by Cabrera, who AGAIN cut off a grounder to Polanco and a surprised Nate didn’t get over there in time. Cab is doing this a LOT lately. Some of his snazzy plays lately have been easy ones for Polanco to handle.
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The team literally dragged themselves off the field after the 4th (or 5th, it was making me dizzy) and, if I’d had anything else to do, I’d have gone and done it right then. The entire affair was a huge zero.
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I’m reading the above comments which are legitimate, but I don’t see any answers to these problems. I think we’ll have to deal with it until DD comes up with a transaction or two.
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If these guys play like this tomorrow, I’m getting an early start for home. Long drive.
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–Rich

I wish Rich and Marty well tomorrow. Could be frustrating from the time they announce the starting lineup as JL will likely try to give a blow to Laird and lord knows who else. Probably Everett.
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I’m guessing Kelly will get a go in the outfield and maybe Anderson too. Though Anderson is about an easy as an out as anybody in the bigs right now. I’d much rather see Thames in there.
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The pitcher we are facing is average at best.
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Dontrelle needs another good game. My guess is all he has to do is throw a good one every 4 starts he will keep his job. They really are committed to the experiment. I wish him the best of luck but my baseball instincts tell me Dontrelle is not going to return to the pitcher he once was anytime soon.
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This has been a very sobering year for DD. The mega contracts given Robertson, Bonderman, Sheffield, Ordonez, Willis and Guillen have to have caused him a little embarassment with the boss. That’s a lot of money for a grand total of 2 home runs, 2 Wins and an ERA of 7.12
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My Lineup today:

Santiago
Polanco
Thames
MCab
Granderson
Inge
Kelly
Laird
Willis

JL will be giving Laird a rest and realistically he is not hitting all that well, but to play Sardinha is like offering the Pirates an automatic out.

With the tradewinds picking up, and analyzing our roster for value. I must admit that GMan might be something we could get equal or better value for. He still carries a reputation as having been a bulldog on the mound. There might be times that feell they need a starter and can afford to tweak around with him to get him fixed. I think the same and do feel he will get it together again but the team can’t afford a 3-7 type pitcher in the rotation this year. How many more starts can they afford to go with him?
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A problem that is brewing for the Tigers is that there really are no “can’t miss” guys throwing in the minors. Neither Toledo or Erie have lights out starting pitching going for them. The ony guy down there that might contribute is Lucas French Bonine has his walks down and a good WHIP but he is batting practice material in the bigs.
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Today will be at least an interesting one to watch from the D Train perspective. Can the bats come alive again?

Good morning fellow bloggers, Rich, GK, and thanks Dan. GK are you coming today? Rich, missed you last night. Yes, I did catch a foul ball – if you want to call it that. While I was looking through the lens of my camera, my wife and daughter started yelling, “hey, it’s coming this way!” By the time I looked up, the ball had already bounced somewhere in front of us, people began scrambling, and the ball basically rolled to a stop at my feet. I reached down and grabbed it as the guy across the row dove to get it. It was in the 8th off of some Pirate bat.
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As for the game, it was brutal. Well you guys could see better than us how well those pitches were coming in, but it was obvious the Pittsburgh batters were not fooled by anyone we had pitching. There were no bleeders; all well hit balls. Except for the gift that Cabrera misplayed. Rich you described that well. It was Polanco’s play, Cabrera left his position to field it, and Nate, not expecting this, failed to cover first on time. After the intentional walk, Sanchez basically finished the game with the grand slam.
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As fate would have it, Cabrera just missed a grand slam the inning before, which would have put us ahead 5-4. So we had our chances. But a 16 hit attack was impossible to overcome.
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For the good news, Pittsburgh’s PNC Park is a wonderful place to watch a game. My wife, daughter and I got there very early and enjoyed standing at the outfield fence, watching players shag fly balls and fans catching beyond the fence. I took a ton of pictures of Edwin, Zum, Marcus, Josh, and Curtis near the fence. They were all enjoying themselves. Edwin is an athletic looking young ballplayer. He looks like he could be a position player if he wasn’t such a good pitcher.
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It is what it is. We’ve got 3 pitchers and an excellent defense that have us in first place to this point. It’s pretty amazing really. But watching a game live you see the quickness in these guys. Good arms in the OF(Raburn made some strong throws), plays at the plate, tight infield (Miggs has to learn to stay put). But it can’t sustain itself if the hitting doesn’t revive. The keys are Maggs, Placido, and Curtis getting hot. Cabrera will figure it out I expect, but Maggs and Placido are imo the two this team most needs to start producing. If that doesn’t happen, it will be hard to continue winning on the backs of three starters. I still maintain though…..pitching and defense, and I stick by that.
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We’ll be in section 112, infield box, about half way up the lower deck, right side of the field, actually not far to the right of the netting. I’m sure well out of TV camera view.
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Let’s get um today boys and girls! Hope to see you at the game Rich. GK are you coming?

I’ll find you today, Marty. 112 row W. They put you people on the Group W bench with other ne’er do wells. You have to be familiar with Arlo Guthrie to know what I’m talking about.
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I think I did a review of PNC Park in ’06, but yeah, it’s one of the best. Good sight lines down in the box seats, far superior to Comerica which is too flat. The evening view of the downtown buildings, especially when the setting sun reflects off them, is stunning. My only complaint was the mascots, a parrot and a pirate, when they got up on the Tigers dugout. They make better doors than windows. Down in front! Game going on here!
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Well, we’ll be checking out of this hotel in a few minutes and hiking on over to the park. 1909 style uniforms today, and they say there will be no music and no mascots (heh heh) today to try to create the mood. Hard to believe it’s been 100 years since the Detroit-Pittsburgh World Series. There I was, a lad in knickers, sitting in the wooden grandstand and hollering insults at that Cobb guy……….
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–Rich

Marty – no we are not coming. After some thought we decided that it was 10 hours in a car for a 3 hour ball game. And to top it off Willis was pitching. And I would be lying if I said that going to Pittsburgh right now just isn’t that pleasing of an idea?? Lame probably but, well I am being honest. But that car drive really wasn’t sounding great the closer and closer we got to the date. We screwed up we should of taken the weekend off and come for the two days as you and rich did.
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I am sorry that you had to sit through such a crappy game. My disappointment was only lessened by the fact that I didn’t pay money to see it. Hopefully Willis can neutralize some of those left handed bats today, although I understand they have a few switch hitters.. Regarding that Cabrera goof, yes he shouldn’t have played that ball, but Robertson also should of made his way to first base. That is baseball 101. He did nothing to help himself out there. Just like Joel shot himself in the foot the other day, with his fielding gaff.
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GO TIGER
GK
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Regarding comments made by locals about the hockey results, I didn’t witness a whole lot of them. Some to be sure, but they didn’t get very far. Most of the Detroit people kind of ignored it. One guy did answer back that “hockey season is over, enough already.” No one made any comments to me, but I was prepared with a stock answer: “How’s your NBA team doing?”
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–Rich

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